the aftermaths
by MissingMommy
Summary: They've been through a war, or two. It takes it's toll. The demigods find comfort in the only place they can - each other. :: Chapter 3: Nico&Piper: "You have a lot of people who do care about you." :: For Amber.
1. Thalia&Jason

For Amber. Merry Christmas. You said that you don't get enough platonic stuff, so I decided to fix that. I love you!

Notes: set almost immediately following _Blood of_ _Olympus_ but before _Trials of Apollo._

* * *

"Piper told me that I could find you up here. Can I join you?"

Jason looks behind him to see his sister, Thalia. She looks exactly like he remembers - choppy dark hair decorated with a silver tiara that signifies her lieutenant status among the Hunters, black clothes, a silver chain, and the bracelet that turns into a shield. There's a silver aura around her that he knows is because of the Hunters; Annabeth explained it him once.

He turns back to looking out at the water. He gestures. "Sure. I thought the Hunters coming to Camp was a huge deal, though."

"Usually, yes, but I'm not here with the Hunters. I asked Artemis if I could come here for a day and she agreed," Thalia explains as she takes a seat. "After everything settled, I wanted to have more time with you. Much more than just an hour while you're on a quest anyways."

He smiles. "It's a little weird to find out that I had a sister the entire time I was at Camp Jupiter."

"I heard that you weren't going back."

He nods, glancing at her. "It never felt like home. And I can't explain it, but being here," he says, gesturing around, "it feels like home."

Thalia laughs. It sounds like a bell ringing. "Look at us," she says. "We both found homes in places we never expected." She meets his questioning stare. "You felt out of place at Camp Jupiter, and I felt out of place here. Who would've imagined that we both would've turned away from our intended homes."

"Why didn't you feel at home here?" Jason asks before he can stop himself, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Thalia turns away from him. Her hand traces the cold marble under them. "They didn't tell you much about me, did they?"

He shakes his head.

"Come here," Thalia says, standing. They walk to the opposite side of the cabin. "I told you that your disappearance was the last straw. I ran away. I was nine at the time. It's dangerous to be a child of the Big Three alone, but by the time Percy's friend Grover found me, I had already found two other demigods - Annabeth and L-luke. I wouldn't go without them," she says softly. "You see the big tree on the hill?"

She's pointing to the biggest one on the Half-Blood Hill. The glasses are the only reason that Jason can even see it. He nods. "What about it?"

"We were almost here when the monsters we encountered caught up. I told Grover to get the other two over the boundary. That tree is where I made my last stand. I was dying; Apollo's children would've never made it to me in time to save me, so dad used my final breaths to turn me into that tree," she explains. She closes her eyes against Jason's concerned expression. "My tree was protecting my friends. For the first time since you disappeared, I was at peace."

"How did you…" he trails off, unable to finish his thought.

She frowns. "Become a person again? My tree was poisoned. Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse found the Golden Fleece to save my tree. It worked a little too well because I appeared. I don't remember much of how it happened. One minute, I was a tree and then I was waking up to Annabeth's concerned look. I should've been nearly eighteen, but instead I was just shy of my sixteenth birthday. My time as the tree slowed my aging."

"You feel like Nico and Hazel," Jason realizes. "Out of place and out of time."

"Something like that," she agrees quietly. "Only they lost decades and I only lost about six years."

He puts a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look at him. "That's still a big difference. Things still change."

She nods. "I woke up and suddenly I was faced with friends that I could recognize, but I no longer knew. I tried to grab onto my old life, the friendship I had with Annabeth, but I couldn't manage it. It never felt right. And the war came up. I didn't know Luke anymore, but he still knew me. I was tempted by the offer he made me, tempted to take my anger out on the gods."

"Instead you joined the Hunters," Jason finished for her.

"I was in the middle of two people I cared about - Annabeth and Luke. As good as Luke's offer sounded, it wasn't for me. I joined the Hunters so that I wouldn't be tempted like that again. Percy always managed to make the right decision so I left it up to him," she explains.

They are quiet for a long time, before Jason speaks. "Annabeth told me that you can chose to leave the Hunters," he says tentatively.

She smiles sadly. "I'm not leaving that Hunter. It's the closest to peace I've felt since I was a tree. Besides, there are always going to be another prophecy. And my fatal flaw, on top of my pride, is the need for power. Best if I just avoid it."

As Jason looks at her closer, he can't help but realize that she looks older than the fifteen that she appears. He sees the weight of the world in her eyes and the tension in her shoulders. He tries to imagine her in another decade, another century, another millennia, looking exactly like this, but he can't.

"Am I going to see you again?" he asks.

"I don't know," she answers truthfully. "There is always a chance that the Hunters run into questers. Artemis comes by camp occasionally. But there's no guarantee that we'll see each other."

He turns away from her, closing his eyes. "I just learned I had a sister. I'm not ready to lose you."

"I know," she tells him softly. "I spent most of my life wondering if you were out there somewhere. I look at you now, and I see all of the missed opportunities we had. You've grown into a good person, a strong one, and I wish I could've been there to see it. But this is my life now, Jason, and the Hunters have become my family."

"If I was there," Jason starts. "If you would've known I was alive, would it have changed anything?"

He feels her move next to him, her hand pulling him closer to her. He can't help but think that this is the first time he remembers hugging his sister. "Of course it would've. I spent weeks searching for you. If I would've known about you, a lot of my life would've been different. But we're talking about what could have been and it's not what happened."

He leans into her embrace. "I get it," he says. "It doesn't make it easier, but I get it."

"You have great people around you - Percy, Annabeth, Piper. You don't need me anymore," she whispers softly as she pulls away. "You're strong by yourself and in your own right. I'm proud of you. You're going to do well here. But I am wondering why you chose to stay here."

He smiles. "I was probably three when I found my way to Camp Jupiter. I don't remember much of it, actually. I was the youngest to find their way to camp and to be claimed. It was years before they actually let do the dangerous things; you know, like a responsible adult." That earns him a snort from Thalia. "The others, they all knew who their mortal parent was and I didn't. I didn't know a life outside of camp."

"You felt like an outsider," Thalia says in understanding.

"Yeah," he agrees softly. "So I worked hard to prove myself. To bring honor back to my legion. But no matter what I did, I didn't feel like I really belonged there. It never felt like home. On that quest, while we were still in the mess hall of the ship, I felt like I belonged for the time in my life. I didn't feel the need to prove myself because they already accepted me."

She smiles at him. "I'm glad that you found a place to belong. You're going to be okay."

He smiles back at her. They sit on top of Cabin One, talking throughout the evening and well into the night; each sharing their memories of their life until the stars come out and the patrol harpies were awake. Thalia bids him a good night, with a reminder that she'll be gone before the rest of the camp stirs. He may not want her to go, but he knows he has to. He stays up there, looking at the stars, wondering where Leo was, and he realizes that he has his own family at camp like Thalia has with the Hunters. And his sister is right; he doesn't need her anymore.


	2. Hylla&Reyna

By the time that war against Gaea ended, Reyna feels wariness deep within her bones. The crew of the Argo II had managed to shut the Doors of Death, and she had managed to keep the two camps from going to war with each other with the delivery of the _Athena Parthenos._ The Romans were even invited to stay at Camp Half-Blood for a while before returning home.

When the time to leave came, Reyna had ordered Frank to take the Romans home. She asked Percy if she could borrow one of the Pegasus for a little while and he had been all too willing. That's how Reyna found herself on top of a pure black Pegasus, speeding towards San Juan. This Pegasus wasn't as fast as hers but it got the job done within a few days.

She walks into her family home for the second time since she left. She runs her fingers across the wall of the living room.

"I'm surprised to see you here," a voice says behind her.

Reyna turns to face her sister. Hylla's black hair is lacking it's luster, there's a new scar down her arm, and it looks like the weight of the world are in her eyes. There are rips all over in her leather jumpsuit and the belt is missing and Reyna spots her ring still upon Hylla's hand. Hylla's looked worse, Reyna knows, so she doesn't say anything about it. "The Hunters sent word of who had survived. Thalia mentioned you planned to stay here for a while."

Hylla walks by her. "I needed to make a list of things to change to make this a more permanent hideout for the Hunters and Amazons alike," she says.

"I know that I was angry that you bought this place when I was here last," Reyna says. Her voice is soft. "But I'm not angry anymore." She glances around her before she meets her sister's eyes. "You were right; I was running from the past. But in doing so, I was also running from all the good memories this place brings back. I'm tired of running."

"You know that what happened to father -"

"Wasn't Patricide," Reyna cuts her off. "I've been told that what I killed that day was a spirit, nothing more and nothing less."

Hylla smiles at her. "I see that quest really helped you."

The corner of Reyna's mouth twitches upward. "I think it was more the son of Hades who helped me. He is an expert on all the undead, after all." Hylla nose scrunches at that. Reyna laughs for the first time in a long time. "Some boys can be useful."

"As if," Hylla replies. "They are only useful in accomplishing tasks we can't do ourselves."

Reyna doesn't bother to correct her sister. She learned a long time ago that Hylla is set in her ways. "So you're going to use this as a hideout?" she asks.

"That's the plan," Hylla agrees. "It seemed to be the right thing to do with this place."

Reyna nods in understanding. While they both live lives that won't allow them to live in their family house, it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be used for other things.

"How long are you here for?" Hylla asks, breaking the silence that fell.

"Not long," Reyna admits. "I wanted to see how you were after the battle. Last I saw, Orion had thrown you down. I needed to make sure you were still alive and well after you slowed him down for us."

Hylla nods. She walks toward her sister and wraps her arms around her. "Thank you, little sister. But go now. You have a legion to get back to. Just know, if you ever get tired of your Praetor duties, you will always be welcome in among the Amazons."

Reyna smiles at Hylla. She runs her hand across the wall one last time. "Be well," she says softly. And she disappears into the night, heading back to Camp Jupiter.


	3. Nico&Piper

Nico has been in his cabin, making a list of things that he wants to change. He wants to make it feel more like home. He's making a note about the beds when he hears a knock.

He drops the pencil and pad on his bed and goes to open the door.

"Hey!" Piper greets him happily. There's a box in front of her. "May I come in?"

Surprise colors Nico's face. He moves out of the doorway and gestures for her to come in. He glances around outside before shutting his door. "What can I do for you?" he asks.

Piper doesn't answer him immediately. Instead, she glances around the room. "I get the whole Underworld theme, but doesn't this get depressing?" she questions. She turns around to look at him. Her eyes are bright and her dark hair is in two braids.

Nico resigns the fact that he isn't going to get answer to his question first. So he takes a seat on his bed, crossing his legs under him, and takes his notepad into his hands to finish his original idea. "I'm planning some decor changes. The skeletons dad sent to built the cabin decided to mirror dad's mansion," Nico explains.

She sets the box on his bed. "Well, if you want any help with ideas, I'm sure that Hazel would be great for input. I would offer my services but I'm not the one that has to live here."

Nico laughs despite himself. "I appreciate the honesty," he says.

She smiles at him. It's times like these that he is reminded that she is a child of the Goddess of Love because of how beautiful the smile makes her look. "To answer your question," she starts, "I'm here to deliver something to you."

"The box?" he guesses.

She nods.

He eyes the box with suspicion before he picks it. Judging by the honest smile on her face, he doubts that this is some prank. He opens the box with some difficulty. But he inhales sharply when he does. Laying in the box is an aviator jacket. He glances up at Piper, his eyes wide, as he takes it out of the box.

"While you were in the Infirmary, Hazel was asking Reyna about your trip. Hazel was upset to hear about your jacket because she knows how much it meant to you," Piper explains.

He tilts his head slightly. "And what? You decided to buy a new one for me?"

Piper sits at the other end of Nico's bed. She moves the box out of the way. "Well, in short, yes. I know that trip wasn't easy for you. I wanted something to show you that no matter what, I will stick by you."

"Thank you," he tells her sincerely. The jacket was one of the few connections he had to his past, and to have someone care enough to buy a replacement...Nico struggles with how good it feels to have someone care.

Her grin fades. "Jason told me that he was worried you were just going to disappear after you got the statue back because you didn't think you had people who care," she says. "I hope that you know that's not true. You have a lot of people who do care about you."

Nico slips the jacket on and is surprised by how well it fits. He meets her eyes. "I didn't let people close," he murmurs. "Not since Bianca died. I had lost everything and decided that it would be easier not to have anyone than to keep losing people I got close with. So I kept people at arm's length."

She frowns. "What changed?"

"I was told that if I kept letting my anger get the best of me, I would always be unhappy," Nico says. He's not sure why he tells her but he knows that she isn't charmspeaking him into confessing. "I decided that after everything, I wanted to be happy. I wanted to be one of the first children of Hades to actually be happy."

"Are you happy?" she asks softly.

"More than I have been since Bianca died," Nico answers truthfully. "Hazel helped a lot, and Jason. I don't think I would've stayed here without either of them."

Piper nods and smiles mischievously. "And that has nothing to do with a certain blond son of Apollo?"

Nico drops his head into his hands and groans. "How do you know about that?" he asks.

She laughs. "Are you forgetting that my mom is Aphrodite?" she retorts. She reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder before thinking better of it. Nico looks upset. "Look at me, Nico," she commands softly.

He lifts his head.

Her hand is still in mid-air when she withdraws it. "Nobody at camp thinks less of you because you are into boys." She notices the sadness pooling into Nico's eyes. "I'm being serious. This isn't the 1940s where it's a shameful thing. There is _nothing_ wrong with you. I promise. There are several people here that are into the same gender."

The silence in the air is thick. Piper doesn't take her eyes away from him. Nico resolve wavers. "I hated myself for so long for liking Percy," he admits. "And then when I was spending the three days in the Infirmary, I realized that what I felt for Percy was nothing compared to how Will makes me feel. That scares me."

Piper scoots closer to Nico, close enough to feel the coolness coming off him, but not enough to touch him. "It's okay to be scared," she assures him.

"He asked me out," Nico reveals.

"And?"

"I asked him if I could get back to him," Nico answers.

Piper furrows her eyebrows. "Why?"

"He's bright," Nico says. His eyes are focused on the wall opposite of his bed. "He is so happy and...I'm damaged. I met the goddess of misery and she told me that I was perfect. I don't want to bring him misery."

She frowns more. "Nico, I'm going to give you some advice. If anyone is going to understand loss the way you do, it's someone who actively tries to save lives and sometimes still loses. There's a very slim chance that Will is always bright and happy, like you aren't always dark and gloomy."

"But I don't want to be the reason that he isn't happy," Nico replies.

She grins at him and pats his leg gently. "Then tell him yes," she tells him. "Because it's clear that you like him and he likes you. On top of that, you're worried about keeping him happy. Let me tell you, that's all a relationship is about; trying to keep each other happy."

Nico frowns at her. "What if I screw up?"

"That's the secret," she whispers. "We all screw up at some point. No relationship is perfect. But if you care enough about each other, you work through the problems."

He is still frowning when Piper stands. He glances up at her.

"Besides, you're gonna have me to give you advice," she tells him. "My advice still stands that you should tell Will yes."

He smiles at her. Piper thinks that he should do it more often; he looks younger when he does. "Thank you," he tells her sincerely.

She grins brightly at him. "I'm gonna go now," she announces. "Jason's agreed to practice my swordsmanship with me. But seriously, Iris message your sister for some tips about decor change in here."

Nico watches her leave the cabin. He's left alone with his notepad and his thoughts. It doesn't take him long before he's heading out the door to take Piper's advice, pulling the aviator jacket she gave him closer to him. He thinks that maybe staying at Camp Halfblood was a good idea.


End file.
